Is there more to Mio than just a 'me too' sat-nav system?

There's a lot to like about the Mio Navman 575. It's one of the company's most accomplished performers yet and really does do what it says on the tin: which is to give you an easy-to-use sat-nav experience with enough brains and horsepower to get you where you need to go with the minimum fuss.

However, experienced users maybe frustrated by some of its limitations.

We liked:

With its big 11.9cm screen and large icons, the Mio Navman 575 makes it easy for even the most sausage-fingered of us to find our way around its menu system and it's easy to read even on bright, sunny days so you needn't worry about missing a turn.

We also like its simplicity in other ways too – you won't find anything in the way of daft features like built-in cameras and music players – and its Point of Interest are definitely of the Need To Know variety. All to the good.

The 575 also proves pretty adept at getting you around. We had no real problems on our test route, and the clever inclusion of features like TomTom's iQ Routes and as well as the option to rent maps should make the driving experience a more pleasurable one.

We disliked:

Unfortunately the Mio Navman 575 isn't without its faults. The biggest of these is critical combination of robotic voice controls, stark map graphics and the relatively low resolution of its screen – despite its large size. The result is that the user experience isn't quite as rewarding as with some rivals.

The limited routing options are also frustrating. Being able to pick only between Fastest, Easiest or Economical choices is just annoying – we'd like a bit more granularity.

Secondly, there's no quick and easy way to pick an alternative route using a menu shortcut. You have to delve into the submenus or start again.

That voice again. Although it can pronounce street and town names, the Mio Navman 575 so garbles the language that you wish it hadn't bothered.

Verdict:

A good little satnav if you're on a tight budget, but higher priced rivals offer better value for money.